Fruit and Oat Bars

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
3 cups low-fat oat bran muffin mix (1 box, I used FiberOne)
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup walnuts (or other favorite nuts) chopped
3 cups fresh berries of your choice
1/2-3/4 cup sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Microwave berries and sugar for two minutes, set aside to let cool.  Place butter, muffin mix, oats and nuts into a bowl and mix thoroughly.  Press half of the crumb mixture into the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 pan firmly.  Spread the berries mixture over the top evenly.  Top with remaining crumb mixture and press until firm.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until top is lightly brown, making sure not to over bake.  Cool completely and cut into bars.  Delish!

Note:  This is a super quick and easy way to make fruit and oat bars, but I am sure there is a healthier, more complicated recipe if you're interested.

Spiced Chicken, Green Apple, Goat Cheese Avocado Wrap

 source

Ingredients:

2 Spinach or whole wheat wraps

1 Chicken breast, skinless/boneless  (butterfly chicken breast if you like)
¼ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon smoked paprika (preferred) regular will do

¼ teaspoon cumin powder

4 ounces Goat Cheese, room temperature

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

2 tablespoons honey

1 Fuji apple (skinned and core removed, cut into slices
)½ Avocado (skin and pit removed, cut into slices)

½ Lemon cut in half and juiced (seeds removed)

Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
Fresh spinach or romaine

Directions:

Combine cinnamon, paprika, cumin powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Place chicken breast on a flat surface, and coat one side of breast with spice mixture.

Heat your bar be que to grill.  Grill chicken breast for 5-7 minutes on one side. Turn chicken over and cook for another 5-7 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°.  Transfer the chicken breast on a plate to cool and slice into strips.

In a bowl, mix together goat cheese, cream cheese and honey. In a separate bowl add apples, avocado and a couple squirts of lemon juice.

Place wraps on a flat surface. Add an even amount of the cheese mixture in a straight line to the front of the wrap. Add apple and avocado slices, then chicken strips.  Take one of the wraps sides and fold it in to the middle. Roll wrap starting with the side that has the chicken mixture, top with fresh greens. Roll as tightly as you can without breaking the wrap. Serve.

Easy Thai Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:

8 pieces of naan or pita flat bread

2 medium chicken breasts, cooked (season with salt and pepper) or use a rotisserie chicken

2 c shredded mozzerella

1 medium bell pepper, sliced thin (red, orange or yellow)

1/4-1/2 small red onion, sliced thin

fresh cilantro

Peanut sauce:

1/2 c hoisin sauce (found in the asian cooking section of the grocery store)

1/2 c peanut butter

1-2 T fresh ginger, grated

1 T Sriracha hot sauce (adjust to your liking or use another spice/hot sauce you have)

1/3 c hot water

Directions:

1) Prepare the peanut sauce. Combine the hoisin sauce, peanut butter, and 1/2 tsp of sriracha sauce in a bowl. Peel the ginger and grate it straight into the bowl. Add about 1/3 cup of hot water and whisk until smooth. Set aside.

2) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Chop the chicken into small pieces and transfer to a bowl. Thinly slice the red onion and red bell pepper.


3) Spread about 2 Tbsp of the peanut sauce over each piece of naan or pita bread. Top with about 1/4 cup of shredded cheese, a handful of the chicken, some red bell pepper, and red onion.


4) Place the pizzas on a perforated pizza pan, cookie sheet or directly on the oven rack and cook until the cheese is melted and bubbly (about 10-15 minutes depending on which method you use). When the pizzas come out of the oven, top with fresh cilantro leaves and enjoy!




This recipe is slightly modified from one found on Budget Bytes.